In a new feature, the Cyclingnews team pick their rider of the day from the Criterium du Dauphine. Mitch Docker is the first rider to be chosen, and we will be selecting a rider after each stage.
He finished 172nd on the stage and claimed just a solitary point in the king of the mountains competition, but Mitch Docker (Orica-GreenEdge) is our rider of the day on stage 1 of the Criterium du Dauphine.
The 29-year-old Australian is using the Dauphine as his comeback race having crashed out of Paris-Roubaix in an utterly appalling fall in the Arenberg Forest. There’s footage of the crash floating around the net, if you wish, but suffice to say that his injuries included a broken cheekbone, a broken nose and broken teeth. Facial surgery of course followed but Docker is thankfully back on his bike and raring to get stuck in.
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The Dauphine was meant to be a comeback race after a long rehab but no more than a few kilometres into the opening stage Docker jumped clear with another rider to form the break of the day.
He spent close to 150 kilometres off the front before eventually sitting up with 20 kilometres remaining.
"I was riding along in the peloton in the neutral zone and everyone was asking me about the crash and I was like, 'can I do a whole day like this?' And I was like, 'nah' I just wanted to get out there, I just want to ride, so the best option for me was to go in the break, find my legs and ride it out I guess. I didn't want to talk about it any more. It was really nice of everyone to want to know about it but I just wanted to race," Docker told us at the finish.
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